Are Golden State Warriors Too Dependent on 3-Pointers Without Stephen Curry?

Though the date of Stephen Curry’s eventual return from his latest injury is uncertain, one thing is crystal clear: The Golden State Warriors will need to forge ahead in the 2016 NBA Playoffs without the aid of the superstar point guard who doubles as their best player.

Less clear: They can’t just rely on the three-point-shooting identity that has propelled them to so many wins and records. Lofting up one long-range attempt after another only works so well when Curry is in the lineup.

Both the remaining Splash Brother and the other snipers on this roster can keep firing away at reasonable rates. But Golden State will only survive its point guard’s absence if it resists the arc’s temptation and continues doing everything else that has made it successful—namely pounding the paint, generating easy attempts via excellent ball movement and locking down on defense.

After Curry went down in Game 4 of the Houston Rockets series, suffering what’s now being reported as a Grade 1 MCL sprain, per The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the world was forced to hold its collective breath yet again. It had already witnessed the record-shattering floor general falling out of the lineup with an ankle issue, and this latest blow is significantly more severe. 

Vertical Sources: Steph Curry’s MRI on knee has returned negative, no damage, a Grade 1 sprain. Could miss two weeks.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) April 25, 2016

Whether Curry beats the initial timetable (he’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks, per an official release from the Warriors) or rehabs for longer and misses part (or all) of the series against the Los Angeles Clippers/Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State will have to soldier on. And as Draymond Green explained to USA Today’s Sam Amick after Curry slipped on a wet spot and fell victim to his injury, the margin for error dwindles without the 1-guard: 

Our margin for error without Steph is far less than what it is when he’s on the court, because he can make up so much on his own. He can draw so much attention that we get easier stuff. We know that. That’s one of the things we figured out when playing without him. That definitely raises a sense of urgency, because you know everything has to be spot-on.

During both the regular season and the playoffs, Curry has missed a grand total of five games. The results have been rather mixed, as you might expect for a team going to war without a player of such importance: 

23-point loss to Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 30  Four-point victory over the Houston Rockets on Dec. 31 Four-point victory over the Atlanta Hawks on March 1 Nine-point victory over the Houston Rockets on April 18 One-point loss to the Houston Rockets on April 21

A 3-2 record against a slate of playoff squads is nothing to be ashamed of, and that mark could even swell to 4-2 if we include the most recent outing.

When Curry went down just before halftime and walked to the locker room under his own power, the Rockets and Warriors were tied at 56. After another 24 minutes of action, the Dubs had taken a 3-1 lead in the series behind a dominant 65-38 second half, propelled by a record-setting number of threes. 

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